screw

verb

/skruː/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they screw	/skruː/ /skruː/
he / she / it screws	/skruːz/ /skruːz/
past simple screwed	/skruːd/ /skruːd/
past participle screwed	/skruːd/ /skruːd/
-ing form screwing	/ˈskruːɪŋ/ /ˈskruːɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive] screw something + adv./prep. to fasten one thing to another or make something tight with a screw or screws
- The bookcase is screwed to the wall.
- You need to screw all the parts together.
- Now screw down the lid.
compare unscrew
Extra Examples
- She screwed the lock into the door.
- The bed was screwed to the floor.
Topics Engineeringc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- firmly
- tightly
- down
- …
preposition
- into
- on
- onto
- …
phrases
- screw something in place
- screw something into position
See full entry
[transitive] to turn something round and round in order to fasten it in place
- screw something + adv./prep. She screwed the cap back on the jar.
- screw something + adj. Screw the bolt tight.
compare unscrewTopics Engineeringc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- firmly
- tightly
- down
- …
preposition
- into
- on
- onto
- …
phrases
- screw something in place
- screw something into position
See full entry
[intransitive] + adv./prep. to be attached by screwing
- The bulb should just screw into the socket.
- The lid simply screws on.
[transitive] to use your hand to make something, especially a piece of paper, form a tight ball
- screw something up (into something) I screwed up the letter and threw it into the fire.
- screw something (up) into something Screw the foil into a little ball.
see also screwed-up
[transitive] (slang) to cheat somebody, especially by making them pay too much money for something
- screw somebody We've been screwed.
- screw somebody for something How much did they screw you for (= how much did you have to pay)?
[transitive] screw something from/out of somebody (informal) to force somebody to give you something
- They screwed the money out of her by threats.
[intransitive, transitive] screw (somebody) (taboo, slang) to have sex with somebody

Idioms

have your head screwed on (the right way)

(informal) to be a sensible person

screw him, you, that, etc.

(taboo, slang) an offensive way of showing that you are annoyed or do not care about somebody/something

screw up your courage

to force yourself to be brave enough to do something
- I finally screwed up my courage and went to the dentist.

screw

noun

/skruː/

Idioms

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[countable] a thin pointed piece of metal like a nail with a raised spiral line (called a thread) along it and a line or cross cut into its head. Screws are turned and pressed into wood, metal, etc. with a screwdriver in order to fasten two things together.
- One of the screws is loose.
- Now tighten all the screws.
Collocations Decorating and home improvement
Decorating and home improvementHouses
- refurbish/renovate/ (British English) do up a building/a house
- convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially North American English) apartments/(British English) flats
- extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
- build (British English) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(North American English) an addition (on/to something)/(British English) a conservatory
- knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
- knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
Decoration
- furnish/paint/ (especially British English) decorate a home/a house/an apartment/a flat/a room
- be decorated in bright colours/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings
- paint/plaster the walls/ceiling
- hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper
- install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(British English) fittings
- build/put up shelves
- lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio
- put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
DIY/home improvement
- do (British English) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring
- make home improvements
- add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
- fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
- insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially British English) the loft
- fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially British English) tap/(North American English usually) faucet
- block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink
- make/drill/fill a hole
- hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
- tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw
- saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
see also Allen screw™, corkscrewTopics Engineeringc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- wood
- loose
verb + screw
- turn
- loosen
- tighten
- …
See full entry
[countable] an act of turning a screw
[singular] (taboo, slang) an act of having sex
[singular] (taboo, slang) a partner in sex
- a good screw
[countable] a propeller on a ship, a boat or an aircraftTopics Transport by waterc2
[countable] (British English, slang) a prison officer

Word Originlate Middle English (as a noun): from Old French escroue ‘female screw, nut’, from Latin scrofa, literally ‘sow’, later ‘screw’. The early sense of the verb was ‘contort (the features), twist around’ (late 16th cent.).

Idioms

have a screw loose

(informal) to be slightly strange in your behaviour

put the screws on (somebody)

to force somebody to do something by frightening and threatening them

a turn of the screw

an extra amount of pressure, cruelty, etc. added to a situation that is already difficult to bear or understand